Crystalline Sorrows
by Ignis et Ventus
Summary: I'm sorry...I'm so sorry... A cry escaped the blonde's mouth and he brought his knees to his chest, vicious sobs racking his body. Sasuke had left him for Sakura. Naruto was alone again.
1. Enough

Ok, my will to have Ventus join me in my family of one-shots is, once again, put off to another time. So yes it's another multi chaptered Naruto centered fic. Only this time around he's gone a little emo on us.

Well, we'll see how this turns out. We hope you like it, and as always, please review. It means a lot to us.

Chapter 1: Enough

"It's not enough."

A boy said in a huff while pacing in a small, dark room.

"What's not enough?"

A sigh, a hand indicating the room, the two boys, the bed. "This, all of this. I…I just can't…we can't…" A deep breath, eyes close tightly and reopen in an attempt to calm down.

"Don't do this. Please. You, we have come too far to pull the plug now. You can't _decide_ to _stop_ the second it gets tough. You made me get attached! You promised…you can't back out now! Not when I love you!"

The raven kneeled in front of the one sitting on the bed, putting them face to face. He cupped his cheek and wiped away the tears of anger that marred his beautiful face. "I'm sorry…I'm _so_ sorry…"

A cry escaped the blonde's mouth and he brought his knees to his chest, vicious sobs racking his body. The taller boy stood up and walked through the door, sending one last look to what he had given up. As he strode to his own home silent and cold, the sound of his lover's pain rang loudly in his ears.

Pity. It was the worst feeling in the world. In his short life, he had gotten looks of anger, rage, hate and contempt in the eyes of his neighbors, amusement in those of strangers, affection and respect in his friends' and even love in dark endless orbs. But he could not stand the glint of pity or the glances of sympathy thrown at him. He barely contained himself from throwing up when chocolate brown eyes checked him over or when calloused hands patted him softly on the back. The blonde teenager shook his head and stared at his lap. Bright orange filled his gaze as his fists clenched around the rough material.

The jumpsuit, rumpled and dirty, was a symbol of all that had happened. As he watched it, memories shot at him from a hidden alcove of his mind. He saw himself in that particular article of clothing, his cheerful foxy smile, and his never ending determination. He saw his life. He saw glares of contempt. A scream tore at his throat as he ripped the fabric to shreds. Tears escaped his tightly shut eyes and he sobbed weakly as he rocked slowly back and forth.

Blue eyes opened slowly as their owner groaned loudly. He tiredly pushed himself up, trudging towards his bathroom. Dried tears left streaks down his cheeks, dark bags lined his eyes and his pale face was taut. Naruto looked exhausted. Tears started to gather in his eyes again as he remembered the cause of his ragged appearance. He quickly shook his head and splashed ice cold water onto his face. After brushing his teeth and taking a quick shower he headed back to his room, a little more aware.

As he opened his closet door to find his usual orange jumpsuit he remembered the previous night. He quickly went to the foot of his bed and his eyes widened as he took in the tattered clothing. A sigh left his mouth and he went back to his cupboard. He took out baggy black pants and a dark blue t-shirt. He slipped on his worn sandals and picked up his hitai-ate. He stared at it thoughtfully. A single tear escaped him before he could restrain himself. He slipped the cloth around his forehead and left his apartment, too numb to muster a smile, fake as it may be.

A slight breeze blew on the treetops, leaves fluttering to the ground. A boy with hair darker than the night and matching eyes and a girl with emerald orbs and cherry blossom hair with a matching name sat side by side on a bridge. The girl's head rested peacefully on the boy's shoulder. Whereas she had a blissfully happy expression on her face, giggles escaping her full lips every once in a while, his face was vacant, almost completely void of all life. Yet were you to gaze deeply into the pools of black, you would perceive a hint of sorrow and maybe even regret.

Naruto looked downwards as he walked soundlessly towards the pair. He begged to any listening deity to get Kakashi to come early. He sat, knees drawn to his chest, quite far away from his teammates. As he drifted off in thought he missed the concerned glance that the dark haired boy threw him.

An hour and a half later, Kakashi appeared in a burst of smoke, expecting screams and accusations. The sight that greeted him was the last thing he expected. Sakura and Sasuke were cuddled against a tree trunk, happily snoozing. Naruto however sat on the other side of the bridge, his gaze lost in sea beneath. Worry took over the grey haired man as he watched his most vibrant student become dull.

Konoha's sun was turning to shadow.


	2. Reign Over Me

GIMME MORE REVIEWS!!!!!! But thank you very much for the ones you've already given. I hope my ''emo-state'' permeated well throughout the chapter...no I am not actively an emo. Now read and enjoy and review...or else...

Chapter 2: Reign Over Me

-''What happened?''

Naruto looked up at his sensei, vision blurred with tears. Kakashi immediately, upon seeing his sorry state, cancelled the day's training. He then dragged the boy to a secluded part of the forest, setting down on the ground to talk. The blonde shook his head in disaffirmation.

-''I know that something's wrong. You look dead on your feet, Sasuke's clinging to Sakura...'' A small, almost indistinguishable sob escaped the teen's full lips, his eyes shutting tightly. The boy finally spoke, his voice shaking tremendously.

-''He left...after everything we've been through...after...after he promised...after I told him I loved him...he...he just...just turned his back and left...he promised.'' Tears were falling down the boy's cheeks rivulets. Even Kakashi had a frown on his face, his eyes gaining an almost desperate look. The blonde was now curled around himself, his cries reverberating in the isolated forest. The older man took a deep breath contemplating his course of action. He finally reached over to his student and, after careful consideration, envelopped him in a calming embrace. ''It'll be okay. I promise. And I always keep my word.'' He softly turned up the boy's head and their eyes met. ''I won't let you get hurt again, not by anyone.''

As the day drifted away, Kakashi held Naruto protectively, latching onto the small amount of light Konoha's sun still possessed. He would not let go...he would never let go.

When the blonde finally fell asleep, a peaceful expression on his previously anguished face, dry tears streaking his scarred cheeks, Kakashi carried him back to his appartment. The silver haired man was torn between conflicting emotions; disappointment towards Sasuke for underestimating the value of his former relationship with the other boy, worry for Naruto's emotional state, anger towards Fate for never showing the blonde his true worth and towards himself for not having realized his student's loneliness.

The copy cat shook his head and turned around, heading for his home. Hopefully the next day would come bearing less problems. As he walked through the lonely streets of his village he noticed with slight amusement that he not once during the day read his precious orange book.

Dawn broke across the vast plains of the Konoha Forest slowly illuminating the numerous houses scattered around the town. In a particularly run down appartment building a boy, started waking from his deep slumber. His eyes opened and he took in his surroundings as memories from the previous night invaded his tired mind. A long sigh escaped his mouth and he pushed himself out of his bed. Trudging slowly towards his bathroom, he prepared himself for a new and hopefelly less weighing day.

As he passed by his bedside table a few moments later, he caught a glimpse of a picture. Old and rumpled, it stood proudly. He picked it up, a slightly sad smile forming on his lips. A thumb stroked one of the faces thoughtfully in some sort of distant wonder. He then placed, almost reverently, the picture back in its place and headed out the door.

In the silence of the solitary and cold appartment, the picture of the young Team 7 gleamed. Their smiling faces in it suddenly seemed so far away. So old in their ignorance.

Endless black eyes watched as a blonde boy calmly walked to a wooden bridge and sat silently on the planks. Sasuke confusedly observed as, just like the previous day, the now darkly clothed boy did not utter a sound or move in the slightest. He could not fathom the transformation the other had gone through. How could one person change so drastically from one day to another? His head turned towards the person snuggling into his side. But then again, to others, he also must seem completely different. His fingers threaded through soft pink hair and he let his eyes rest closed. He shut out the part of him that was screaming for silky golden hair instead.

The day passed by quickly, the simple tasks assigned to Team 7 were finished efficiently with no complaints. To any outside observer the D-classed missions were completed perfectly, but to a skilled gaze the lack of teamwork was apparent.

Kakashi signaled the end of the day's work and dismissed his students. However he called back the youngest, bidding the other two a nice evening. The remaining team members watched the couple vanish in the distance. The grey haired man then turned toward his blond counterpart and asked him the fatal question, ''Are you feeling better? Can I do anything-'' The teenager shook his head, smiling sardonically.

-''This sorrow is taking its reign over me and there is nothing you, me, or anyone can do about it.''

The older man watched numbly as his last student disappeared in the horizon.


	3. Grief

Well, I'm going to assume that Ventus is obsessed with this fic. I think it's the one that she's updated the quickest and without me having to pester her.

Anyways, I have nothing to tell you, so read the chapter, review nicely, it makes Ventus happy, then patiently await the next addition in which you will do the same. Please. Pretty pretty pretty please...alright, I'm done. You can stop reading the nothingness I have to write.

Crystalline Sorrows

Chapter Three: Grief

"What's wrong with him? I swear if you've done anything to upset him, I'll-"

"I assure you I have done nothing...He's just heartbroken...he needs time, but he'll heal."

"Time heals all wounds that are unintentional, but if the wound was made with intentit will never heal..."

"Then I hope he will not give up. He's strong Hokage-sama, but I fear that this may just break him."

The woman shook her head in denial. "He won't. I won't…I can't let him. If he falls, I'll pull him back up and if he breaks I'll put him back together."

"But then he still won't be back to what he once was. It's like reconstructing a puzzle with pieces missing. Even if you stitch it back together, the image will have changed."

The blonde sneered. "Then I'll guess the image he has become. Now leave."

The grey haired man nodded and left the office after bowing slightly to his leader. If one was to look closely upon the jounin's face, they would notice the unusual frown that the man now sported. He shook his head lightly once outside the tower and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and a loud 'pouf'.

"Sasuke-kun!" A raven haired teenager looked up at his recent girlfriend, his face expressionless. His eyes, however, should one know where to look in them, would betray his very thoughts. He nodded quickly and said in a gruff voice, "Sakura." She grinned and giggled sweetly grabbing and latching onto his arm in the process.

The Uchiha let his thoughts wander as Sakura chatted animatedly about various trivial subjects. An almost imperceptible frown made its way unto his face as the reason for his distraction walked towards him the training grounds a few ways before him. He felt a twinge of regret and of something else he could not identify in his chest as the boy suddenly disappeared in the shadows of the market stands. He shook his head to dispel his unwanted emotions and turned his onyx eyes back to the person at his side. 'I have Sakura now. She's all I need.' As he continued strolling through the marketplace with his girlfriend, his blackened heart shed its final leaf and died a slow death. 'She is all I need.'

"584…585…586…"

Naruto watched almost fondly as Lee continuously destroyed a log, his eyes narrowed in concentration. When the spandex wearing boy finally reached a thousand and stopped, panting heavily, the blonde clapped a few times. The other turned around swiftly and grinned widely as he saw whom his audience was.

"Naruto-san, it's been a while! How have you been?" Blue eyes suddenly glazed over in sadness. Their owner rubbed them feebly and smiled sadly and insincerely. "I have been well. And you, Lee?"

The boy's round black eyes widened slightly. "Naruto, where is your springtime youth? What has happened to your light, my undefeated friend?"

Dull blue eyes shone in slight happiness as their owner wore a small but true smile. "Unfortunately Lee, I was gravely defeated. I am not as strong as you think…not at all." The older boy gazed at the blonde in wonder. "What was it…that managed to beat you?"

The Kyuubi holder started to walk away, but just as he reached the limit of the clearing, he said to an eagerly listening Lee, "My heart."

He then kept walking; one thought crossing his troubled mind as counting could once again be heard throughout the forest. "Thank you for caring, my friend."

"Do you know the stages of grief?"

Naruto looked up at the long haired Hyuuga standing before him. The boy's blank eyes were staring unmoving into his own pained orbs. The blonde laughed with no amusement, "I am not grieving. No one has died." The older boy shook his head. "But you are grieving. You are grieving over the loss of your love."

Naruto frowned and started to turn away when Neji said, "The first one is denial." The boy turned back and looked at the Hyuuga. "I was not in denia-" He remembered the whole night as he rocked back and forth unbelieving.

The older boy smirked. "The second stage is anger." Neji then started walking back to the Hyuuga compound leaving the other to his thoughts.

"Wait! What's the third stage?" Neji paused in his walk and without looking back, said, "I'll tell you when you're ready."

He then left. Naruto stood alone, lost in memories of happier times and of when he had lost them. By the time he came back to reality, the sun had set in the sky and had been replaced by the shining moon.

Cerulean eyes darkened in fury, becoming an almost amethyst sapphire. The Kyuubi vessel walked toward the hokage tower, dark blood dripping from his tightly clenched fists.

Tsunade watched her surrogate brother in concern. He was the light that had torn away the darkness lingering in her soul. Darkness brought on by a loss, a loss she could never forget, not even for an instant. Every single one of her actions was fuelled by her grief. The sadness made her who she was.

She looked at the man beside her, just as ravaged by sorrow and time. Time that could not heal. His distant gaze was riveted to the windows, back stiffened with a worry that mirrored her own.

Their light. She silently berated herself. Naruto was Jiraiya's sun as much as he was hers. Neither of them wished to return to being blind. Darkness was too cold.

The boy sat tensely, the sennin's eyes stuck on his twitching form. He was staring intently at his shoes, fiddling anxiously with the hem of his shirt. The older man finally let out a sigh and said in a weary voice, "Naruto, I know you feel depressed and-"

"I am not depressed." He had a dark frown on his face and he was trembling, but of rage or held back tears the two nins did not know. The hokage, worried, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Naruto…"

"No!" The boy threw her off his form; standing up with eyes narrowed and fists clenched. "I've had enough of everyone's comfort and sympathy. I can deal with this on my own. I don't care about him or his clan or his stupid girlfriend." The two glanced at each other desperately, not knowing what to say or do, afraid of his temper.

The blond started heading toward the door, stopping only when his hand grasped the handle. "Naruto…Sakura and Sasuke-"

The boy shook his head and turned the handle. Just as he left he added, "Sooner or later, he's going to hate her and I'm going to watch as he throws both of their lives away."

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the hallway, as both sennin's stood still and speechless in the hokage's office.

A/N: By the way, the 'Sooner or later he's going to hate her' thing is loosely based on 'Sooner or later' by Breaking Benjamin


	4. Melting Ice

Yay, new addition time!!! Ventus just wrote it up, and she apologizes for the shortness, but well, it's meant to be stopped there and any attempts at making it longer just for the sake of making it longer would have been shot down by me. So, enjoy and review. It is SO depressing to devote your time to something and end up being the only one to appreciate it. But I'm sure you all know that, so I'll stop boring you and continue with my typing job.

We own nothing, not even the computer (that belongs to our school).

Crystalline Sorrows, chapter 4: Melting Ice

'Have you ever felt true agony? The type where your eyes clench tightly, your screams are silent and you hopelessly wish for death? The sort of pain that leaves your heart in tatters and your dreams crushed at your feet, the sort of heartbreak that destroys your will to live. That excruciating death of the soul is called love. Yes love hurts, but what's worse is when love makes you completely and impossibly happy, and then betrays you. That is true pain.'

A small black book was shut, the words disappearing beneath its cover. Naruto sighed and leaned back against his bed's headboard. He stroked the journal softly and smiled slightly. His eyes softened from their betrayed and angry look as he took in his former sensei's gift.

Yes, he hated pity, but for once, Iruka had given him a useful sympathy gift. He did feel lighter somehow once he had finished writing his thoughts in his diary. His gaze turned to the missing picture at his bedside. The now empty frame proclaimed a sort of sad loss, like it was missing half of itself. He grew thoughtful again.

It had been two weeks since the painful break up with _him_. The villagers were rejoicing, they cheered whenever Sakura and the raven walked hand in hand or kissed. The blonde had learnt to ignore the awful clenching of his heart when he saw their antics and had been attending the team meetings like always. Of course, the atmosphere was completely different since he didn't say a word to the lovebirds and even Kakashi was concentrating more on him, leaving the couple to spar together.

He shook his head and tenderly picked up the notebook, depositing it in a drawer and closing it with a small snap. He smiled and left his apartment, filled with more warmth than he had been in a long time.

A pure white petal flew in the morning breeze and landed on the surface of a peaceful lake. The sunrise illuminated the softly swaying trees and light started peaking on white rooftops. The light patter of footsteps filled the air as Naruto strolled through the streets on his way to training ground 7. As he entered the forest he remembered his first meeting with Neji and the ones that followed.

A few days after his discovery of anger, he had started blaming himself. As he saw Sasuke on the streets he would bow his head to hide the tears that were forming in his eyes. He broke the mirror in his bathroom because he hated himself. He even went as far as to always turn his back to Konoha's lake to avoid seeing his reflection.

It was his entire fault because he hadn't been enough. That was his constant, dominating thought. He drew in on himself, refusing to talk to those who cared about him in fear of their rejection.

It was one day, when he saw Iruka crying to Kakashi- Iruka, the strongest person he had ever known- about him that he woke up. Seeing his former teacher's tears was like a slap on the face, like a cup of freezing water thrown at him. It woke him up. As he dragged himself to his apartment that night, ready for a lot of thinking, he ran into the destiny obsessed Hyuuga. The boy had raised an eyebrow, a strange look in his eyes. He said, "Congratulations, Uzumaki, you just passed the third stage: guilt."

Before he could leave, Naruto asked him, "Why are you doing this?"

The long haired boy looked him in the eyes and said, "Remember that fatal battle we went through to get the Uchiha back from sound? I remember when you came back with him on your back.

"As you dragged your wounded body towards us, you had a triumphant look in your eyes. And at that moment, we all forgot. We forgot that we had just had the biggest battle of our lives for an entirely undeserving fool, forgot that some of us might not have made it that day and even forgot that we would return to a village so ravaged it could not be called a village anymore. In that instant we had found a true leader. And then we returned and your eyes lost their lustre. I could not stand seeing the beacon that had given us life die. That is why I said those things to you."

The blonde's eyes were shining with unshed tears and his fists were clenched tightly. He was gaping slightly at the unexpected answer, speechless. "N…Neji."

The Hyuuga shook his head, "There's only one step left: acceptance. I am here if you nee anything. And I will watch until you shine again. And when you do, the whole rescue team will be glad to have their leader back."

And then the boy walked away, leaving Naruto alone in the forest, eyes gazing sightlessly at the empty air before him.


	5. Descent

Hello hello hello!! How art thou on this fine Tuesday? (How do you say 'thou' in plural?) Well, where I am it's snowing, in mid-April, which sucks, because it should NOT even be nearing the temperature necessary for rain to turn to snow, but whatever…anyways! I know it has been a long time since I updated but aside from technical problems, I've also been waiting for an idea for the next chapters to jump out at me wearing only a tea towel. Because the plot is so overused, I was trying to find a more original concept for it. Unfortunately, I seem to be a victim of conformity. Well, clichés are clichés for a reason, I guess.

So, my blabbing is done and now you may enjoy the chapter and as usual, please leave a review telling me what you thought.

By the way, I own nothing save for the plot, I'm not sure if I mentioned that in the other chapters, but please don't sue me.

Chapter 5: Descent

"Hello Naruto-kun!"

The blond teenager looked up from his peaceful stroll through the forest at the owner of the call. He let a soft smile make its way onto his content face. "How are you, Hinata-chan?"

The Hyuuga girl had a slight blush on her cheeks as she returned his smile. "I wanted to ask you something…all of the rookies are meeting for a small get-together. Would you like to come?"

The blonde hesitated. He had finally accepted his loss and though he saw Sakura and Sasuke ever day at training, this time he would see them as friends. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet.

The blank-eyed girl dropped her gaze to the ground and fiddled with the hem of her overlarge shirt as she said, "Please, Naruto-kun. It wouldn't be the same without you."

Looking into the pleading pools of pale lavender, he let out a sigh and nodded. "Ok, Hinata, I'll go."

------------

Blue eyes closed as their owner took a deep breath. They crinkled slightly as he frowned. The heavy wrinkles smoothed out as he opened his eyes and glanced at the mirror to make sure that he was ready. He tugged down at his white button-down shirt and adjusted the waist of his black slacks. He stared into his own azure orbs and determination shone in the depths. "I can do this, I am _over_ him. I can do this…"

A soft knock on his front door alerted him to the presence of his companion. He quickly made sure that everything was in place in the apartment before opening the door and smiling at the person waiting for him.

"Are you ready to go, Hinata-chan?"

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Butterflies fluttered in his stomach when he entered the restaurant with the girl. He was slightly hesitant when he saw the large group of people agglomerated around two tables that had been pushed together. However, as the night wore on, the tight knot in his chest loosened as he regained some of his previous cheerfulness. Thankfully, Sakura and Sasuke didn't interact much with him as Sasuke was more occupied with his sake and Sakura with Ino and her previously mentioned boyfriend. It did not escape anyone at the table that Sasuke was slowly getting drunker and drunker. Finally, the room started clearing out as watches chimed 2 o'clock.

"What do I do? I can't leave him like this, but I need to get home." Blue eyes swivelled to the speaker and saw Sakura holding onto a drunk and stumbling Sasuke while talking to Ino who looked helpless. Sighing, he clenched his fists and thought 'I can do this, I am over him'.

"I'll take him." Sakura swiftly turned and saw Naruto, relief washing over her.

"Really, it won't bother you?"

The blonde nodded and said, "He is my best friend after all, he can just crash on my couch."

The pink haired girl smiled at him. "Thank you. I thought you guys were having a fight or something. You've been kind of awkward." For a moment, Naruto swore his heart had stopped. He froze, staring at Sakura incredulously. She didn't know.

Quickly waking from his stupor, he shook his head and promised that it was unimportant. He grabbed Sasuke and put the taller boy's arm around his shoulder.

------------

It seemed like forever before he reached his apartment. Sasuke had mumbled and sung and stumbled the whole while and Naruto thought he'd never get home. Entering the house, he pushed Sasuke onto the couch and went to the kitchen to drink water and allieviate his nerves.

"Naruto..." The blonde jumped at the sudden call and slowly walked out of the kitchen and into the living room where Sasuke was situated. The other boy was standing and he was barely tilting to the left. When he saw the Kyuubi vessel he smiled, his eyes widening slightly. "Naruto!"

The Uzumaki's breath caught when he saw the pale lips tugging upwards. He rarely got to see the raven's smile and it was that fact more than any other that kept him still when Sasuke stumbled over to him and softly stroked his cheek. He stared into endless onyx orbs and swallowed tightly, his breath getting heavier. The avenger started depositing small kisses on the other boy's face whispering _I miss you_ and _I'm sorry_ everytime. Finally he stopped at the other's lips, brushing them barely when he once again caressed the soft cheek and told him how beautiful he had been laughing and happy earlier that evening. He had dearly missed his smile. And then he kissed him.

Naruto shut his eyes tightly, confused. Making up his mind, he put his palms against the other's chest to push him away when the black haired boy's arms surrounded him and he was pulled to his chest.

Abandoning himself to the sensations, Naruto pout his own arms around the Uchiha's neck. Lost in the mind-numbing pleasure, he did not protest when the other led him to the bedroom.

Panting filled the dark room and Naruto kept his eyes closed at the familiar weight of the body on top of him.

Every whisper against his neck sent goose bumps trailing down his body. Promises he knew would never be fulfilled.

Each soothing kiss to his heated skin left it burning worse than before.

And as he was finally entered, Sasuke filling him for the first time in so long, he ignored the empty feeling inside him. He pushed away the fact that even though he was becoming one with someone else, he had never felt more alone. And he concentrated on the momentary pleasure, choosing to temporarily forget the pain in his chest.

Moonlight filtered through an open window and illuminated the pale body of a teenager. He was lying on his back, sleeping peacefully, his blue-black hair spread around his face. In the corner of the bedroom where he laid, another boy sat, his cries reverberating in the deserted night.

The sound of water hitting tiles rand in a steam filled bathroom as a blonde carefully climbed in the shower stall. Hot water soothed aching muscles and heavy eyelids covered glistening blue eyes. The young man leaned his head against a wall of the cubby in deep thought. Punching the tiles beside his head, he pushed himself off of his support.

"No!"

He shook his head, darkened hair flying in various directions with the movement. Flashes of days spent loathing existence, of a dark haired man grabbing a taller, silver haired man's jacket, tears escaping his dark eyes and of a blond woman's desperate glances, hope escaping the hazel pools filled his tired mind.

He shook his head fiercely once more.

"I won't do it again. I won't hurt them and myself again. This was a mistake. A hurtful one, but a mistake nonetheless. I won't let it get to me, I can't."

He quickly finished his shower and headed to the kitchen. He put coffee in the coffee maker and turned it on, busying himself by cleaning around the apartment. Finally, it was ready. He quickly poured some in an orange mug and took a sip, letting out an "ah" of relief afterwards. Taking the hot cup in both hands, he sat on the window sill of his living room and watched the sun rise.


	6. Perfect Enemy

So this is it…I think I'm going to cry…This is officially the end of Crystalline Sorrows. After re-reading the chapter, I realized that it had to end here…I'm so sad…

However, if you want a sequel to the story, please review and ask.

Truthfully, this story that started out as a spur of the moment became my 'baby'. I basically let out my emotions while writing it. I can only hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Thank you for reading. Please review one final time.

Chapter 6: Perfect Enemy

Black eyes opened blearily and a loud groan escaped their owner. "Good morning." The orbs swivelled towards the speaker and a frown appeared on the boy's face. He carefully sat up and immediately brought his hand to his forehead and rubbed it with a pain filled moan.

He shut his eyes and leaned back against the headboard. "Naruto…What happened last night?" The silence that followed his question forced him to open his eyes and glance at the other occupant of the room.

The blonde was leaning against the doorframe and staring piercingly at Sasuke's form. His face was soft but indifferent, and for the first time since their separation, Sasuke felt like he was in the wrong.

The blonde sighed and his strangely wise eyes met Sasuke's. He shook his head and said, "Nothing, nothing happened last night. Why?"

Sasuke stared down at his body and looked back at the seemingly unreachable ninja before him. "Euh…I'm naked."

A fine blond eyebrow rose and a tinge of amusement gathered in the cobalt pools.

"You were very drunk when I brought you back last night. You must have undressed during the night." An 'oh' escaped thin lips as the Uchiha let out a breath he was holding, relieved. He started to search around for his boxers in the messy pile his clothes made. Noticing the lack of other clothes amongst his own on the floor he smirked, reassured.

He quickly dressed, and when he was decent, he turned to face the blonde again. "Where did you sleep last night?"

He shook his head. "I didn't…Anyways, I have to go for a few days for a mission. Take your time here." Sasuke watched as the blonde left, noticing for the first time the bag that had lain by his feet. Once he heard the door click shut he calmly strode to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee. As he walked through the familiar apartment, he couldn't help the nagging feeling in his mind that he was missing something.

As Naruto walked through the streets of the village, he remembered the meeting he had had two days before. Once again, he had been sitting in Tsunade's office with the two sennins in front of him. Tsunade had spoken. "Naruto, the jounin exam is in waterfall this year. The exams are individual and you have to be signed up by an elite jounin or higher."

The blonde nodded and Jiraiya spoke. "I signed you up. There are a few others from the village who were signed up by their sensei." Just as Naruto opened his mouth to ask, the older man shook his head. "No, Kakashi didn't sign up either Sasuke or Sakura." The chuunin nodded with a bewildered expression on his face. Tsunade smiled softly. "We both know you can do it! Be at the village gate at eight o'clock in two days. We're very proud of you."

Still dazed, he nodded and left the office, the two sennins smiling.

As Naruto walked towards the gate, a proud feeling erupted in his chest. He arrived at the meeting area and saw Jiraiya who waved at him. He stood next to his mentor and glanced at the other participants.

Gai was bellowing as usual, his hands on Neji and Lee's shoulders.

Asuma was smoothly tugging at his cigarette while somehow managing to talk to Shikamaru and Chouji.

Kurenai and Anko were discussing something as Shino and Kiba waited beside them, Akamaru busy running circles around everyone.

"Jiraiya?" The white haired man turned toward his apprentice. "Hmm?"

"Why are both Kurenai and Anko here?" The old man quickly glanced at the two Kunoichis and said, "Only elite jounin can sign up chuunin. Since Kurenai is still young, they teamed her up with Anko." The man then looked up to the sky. "We should go, it's getting late. Everyone, let's go!" And the group marched on towards waterfall.

Naruto carefully entered the small room he had been assigned to. When they had arrived, they rested for a night and, when they were ready, they were each directed to a room where their test would take place. Unlike the chuunin exams, there would only be one stage to the test. He had no idea what it would be.

He stood in the middle of the bare room and glanced around wearily. Would he be fighting someone else? Were they going to push every chuunin in a single room and force them to fight collectively? He didn't know, so he waited.

He waited for hours with nothing. He was sitting on the floor, his suspicious stance having long since relaxed. And again, he waited. He had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes, hours or even days. Sitting in that white empty room, he did not feel anything. Hunger, fatigue, thirst, boredom, sadness. Nothing. He was empty, just like his infernal prison. But there was one window. A window that showed nothing. It let the light filter through, but whenever he looked out of it, he saw nothing. Not even the sky. All he saw was the light. It didn't bother him at first. He knew it was a basic genjutsu. But as time went by, he suddenly felt the need to see the sky. He needed to know that there was something beyond the four blank walls, that the world outside, his life, his friends, Sasuke still existed. That they were not all figments of his imagination.

So he tried everything to dispel the hellish genjutsu, to break the horrible window. Anything, anything to escape the madness of the room. He failed.

More time passed. By then, Naruto was kneeling against the wall, rocking back and forth. With nothing to distract him, he was at the mercy of his destructive thoughts.

He could do nothing as memories assaulted him one after another, leaving him bare of all sanity. He remembered every single negative thing that had happened in his life. Even events that he had nothing to do with made him feel guilty. It was all his fault. Everything was his fault.

And suddenly the door opened. Naruto looked up at the intruder and gasped. His form started trembling and his eyes were wide with fear. Two pairs of feet encased in ninja sandals approached the curled up figure and the shorter of the two crouched down to the blonde. He softly caressed the vessel's cheek. "Do you remember me, Naruto? I hope you do. After all…you killed me…"

Naruto looked at the boy in front of him, tears gathering in his eyes. The azure orbs swivelled to glance at the man standing behind him, then returned to the boy. "Haku…"

Tears slid down his scarred cheeks and his shoulders shook as he sobbed. "No, no! It's impossible!"

The feminine boy smiled softly and he stroked the silky blond locks. "But it is. I came here to thank you for killing me Naruto. We both did. After all, we'd still be alive today if it wasn't for you."

The youngest of the three rocked back and forth violently while muttering, "No, I wasn't…it wasn't my fault" as he sobbed. Zabuza knelt down next to Haku. "You're just like me, a demon. Your hands were stained by blood when you were still a child. You are a monster, Naruto. Just like me."

Naruto cried, "No!" Tears fell as he shook furiously. Suddenly, more and more people appeared in the room. Some stayed standing while others knelt beside the two missing nins, but they all had something in common. Villagers, sound nins, strangers, they were all chanting 'Monster'.

Naruto closed his eyes tightly and clasped his hands over his ears. He shook his head over and over, hoping that everything would disappear. He started by removing his hands from his ears and could not hear anything. So slowly, carefully, he opened his eyes and let out a scream at what he saw.

Mangekyou sharingan was spinning before his eyes. A deep smooth voice said, "Monster, just like me." Blue eyes widened as the vessel let out a desperate cry. "No, no!" And Itachi disappeared, only to be replaced by Tsunade. She was frowning sadly, but her eyes were dark with rage as she screamed 'monster' and ripped the first's necklace from his throat.

She left to be replaced by Jiraiya who simply shook his head in disappointment. By then, Naruto was curled upon himself once more, his arms surrounding his knees. Silent tears were sliding down his cheeks as he awaited the next person. Iruka appeared crying and clutching at a furious Kakashi. He only whispered the hateful word before turning and sobbing into Kakashi's shoulder.

The pair was replaced by Sakura and Sasuke who glared and smirked maliciously at him as they roared the dreaded word. More and more people appeared until Naruto was simply staring numbly at the window, eyes blank saying 'monster' repeatedly.

He could feel the resolve leaving his body. He wanted to die. People around him continued filtering in and out of the room, all saying the same thing, but he had stopped looking at them. He just repeated it over and over again, and he gave up. _Monster!_

And then, it happened. As he nimbly watched the empty glass pane, life deserting him, he saw it. A beautiful butterfly- a blue monarch- peacefully fluttering in the invisible sky and time seemed to stop. He followed the creature's flight and its beauty drowned out the continuous waves of people appearing with one word on their lips and in their hearts. And he felt strong again. He slowly turned to the people and took a deep breath. He stood up, a hand supported by the wall, and whispered, "Stop."

They continued and he said it louder. They simply kept going, saying the word louder and louder. Naruto felt a strange feeling gather in his chest and he breathed faster and faster until, "STOP!"

Purple chakra erupted all over the room and the stream of people disappeared. Naruto was standing once again in the bare room with the single window. He sighed and was about to sit back down when a man entered with a waterfall hitai-ate on his forehead and a jounin vest. He smiled gruffly and said, "Congratulations, you are now a jounin."

Naruto looked baffled at the scruffy man. His mouth opened and closed multiple times until he said, "I…I…"

"I can't believe you passed!"

Smouldering blue eyes glared at the speaker. "Weren't you the one who said, 'I believe in you, you can do it, blah blah blah'?"

The white-haired man shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, but I didn't mean it- ouch!" The blonde huffed and returned to watching his surroundings. He glanced at Shikamaru and Neji walking in pace with him. Jiraiya had sped up to join the other adults and all the other teenagers were grouped together in between them and the teachers. "Don't worry."

Naruto turned to the owner of the voice. "They're just healing. They're not mad." The vessel nodded at the shadow wielder and gazed back up at the endless sky. "How troublesome." Blond hair shook slightly as Naruto laughed at the predictable response. As he continued with the other two newly formed jounins, he felt lighter and a peaceful smile settled on his face.

"The three of you are expected at the Hokage's office tomorrow morning." Shikamaru, Neji and Naruto nodded at Jiraiya before separating ways.

Naruto breathed deeply as he entered his safe haven. He threw his things on the floor and headed towards his bedroom. When he reached the door, his hand froze on the handle as he remembered the happenings of the night before he had left. He slowly turned the handle and entered the bedroom, letting out a sigh of relief when he found it empty. He glanced around and noticed its clean state.

The bed sheets were clean and folded at the foot of his bed; the clothes thrown on his chair had been folded and put in the closet. He went to the kitchen and saw that the dishes were clean. Any trace of Sasuke's presence had disappeared.

He ignored the pang in his chest at the discovery and headed once again to his bedroom. He stopped at the foot of his bed and stared at the neatly folded white sheets in a sort of daze. Suddenly, some feeling he could not identify erupted in his chest and he threw the sheets on the floor with an enraged cry.

Afterwards he stood alone in his room, panting with his eyes closed. Heavy eyelids lifted to show weary blue eyes as soft trembling hands removed the clothing from his tired body. He lay down on his bare mattress and shut his eyes, letting sleep overcome him.

In the middle of the quiet village, a single leaf drifted in a gentle breeze. An old woman sitting quietly in her home glanced out of a window and said with a smile, "The winds are changing." Before returning her glance to the fire in front of her.

A young boy glanced baffled at the woman before turning to a younger one sitting beside him. "What did grandma say, mom?"

The woman shook her head and sighed. "Nothing, sweetie, grandma's just tired, as usual."

As the sun set into ephemeral darkness, a blue monarch softly flew by a window, moonlight illuminating a sleeping blond boy.

-Fin-


End file.
